It Is Just Another Of These Twisted Dreams
by tulip meadow
Summary: A shy girl without memory finds herself near Ferryport Landing and joins the Scarlet Hand. What does she has to do with the Grimms? Is she truly sympathetic to the Hand? Read and see. Contains Puckabrina and other pairings. Many OCs.
1. Found Herself

**Chapter 1. Found Herself**

An Unknown Girl's POV

I don't know if I had been unconscious or anything before I found myself lying on the ground in a dark forest. I woke up without any memory of my life or any ideas of what happened to me.

I didn't know what to think or to do. For several minutes, I was running around and crying in despair.

Nobody came to help or comfort me.

"Whatever it is, don't panic anymore," I finally said to myself, went to a nearby river and drank some water from it to calm down, also glancing at my reflection. I had long auburn hair, a pale complexion and green eyes, I was dressed in a yellow dress, and I looked like I was in my early teens.

"Well, go and find some people!" I ordered myself. "If you panic, it won't help you. But people who live nearby might know who I am."

I examined my head for any serious wounds that can cause memory loss, but I found nothing like this. Instead, I looked at the ground and saw a leather purse lying under a bush. I smiled:

"Things change for the better. It must be my own!"

I took the purse and found a calendar and my own photo in it. The photo had a handwriting on it:

"_03/29/2010."_

The calendar was loose-leaf, and it showed me the following date:

**09/21/2010**

**Tuesday**

"I know what day is it today!" I exclaimed happily. "Or – if I had been unconscious for more than one day – it's something close to that date."

I dug through my purse again and picked out a small note:

_Louise, take care of yourself! You're in danger! Your true friend._

"My name's Louise!" I said. "Well, fine! More than nothing! Now I have to go and find anyone who can help me remember everything."

I walked for an hour down a narrow forest road, until I suddenly heard a high-pitched whistle that scared me half to death.

"Stop! You're now entering the territory of the Scarlet Fort!"

Before I could figure anything out or run away, two armored men with scarlet handprints on their armor stepped from the bushes.

"Name. Rank. Race. Which army you belong to. Goal of your visit," one of them snapped.

"L-L-Louise," I stammered. "I don't remember my rank, I'm afraid I have a memory loss. Race? I can't remember it either. I don't know any armies, and I didn't mean to visit a guarded place."

"Either she's an idiot or she's a spy," another man said. "Let's take her to the wizards who can read thoughts."

"But, sirs!.." I cried. I was ignored. They handcuffed my hands and walked me down the road to that mysterious Scarlet Fort.


	2. A Game Of True And False

**Thanks for reviewing the first chapter! I'd like more reviews, please!**

* * *

Chapter 2. A Game of True and False

Louise's POV

"I have done nothing!" I cried as they dragged me towards a large black castle with an enormous scarlet handprint on the gates. When we approached it, a blast of lightning came out of the gates. I shrieked.

"Who goes there?" a voice shouted.

"Your loyal servants," one of the men replied.

"Your names!"

"Anthony and Gerald Oldshoe, children of the old lady who lived in a shoe," the men said in unison. "We have a captive with us."

"Password!"

"The revenge to the humans is our goal. We'll never let the Master fail. The scarlet handprint is our only sign. We are devoted to the Scarlet Hand, and eager to die for it," the men spoke quickly.

The gates opened, and we entered a large beautiful garden. There were only red flowers growing there, but it still looked fabulous. Gerald Oldshoe noticed my amazement.

"The Scarlet Flowers Garden," he explained. "It's a mirage in fact. We can't allow ourselves to take care of real gardens."

An elderly plump woman was walking around the paths of the garden. She wore a red dress and a matching hat with a sunflower, she had round rosy face and she looked like a plain old kind lady.

The men, though, bowed to her.

"Hello, Master," they said. And, suddenly, a man's voice came out of the lady's mouth:

"Is it the captive?" he (or she?) asked, gesturing to me.

"Yes, Master. She says that she has lost her memory."

"Hmm, interesting."

He (since they called him "Master", I was sure it was a "him") called some Nottingham person to bring some "truth machine" along in ten seconds.

An ugly man with a scarred face and a goatee appeared, carrying a glass cube in his hands.

"What's your name?" the Master asked me.

"Louise. I don't know my surname."

"Have you lost your memory?"

"Yes, Master."

He was pleasantly surprised that I called him with this title, but continued the questioning:

"Where are you from?"

"I woke up several miles away from here, in the forest."

"Did you encounter anyone while getting here?"

"No, I was alone."

The Master glanced at the glass cube. It was perfectly clear. He smiled:

"Good, you've been telling the truth. Now let's see if you're a human or an Everafter. _Nottingham_!" he barked at the ugly man. "Bring the Test Light! Now!"

Nottingham rushed away, and when he returned, there was a flashlight in his hands instead of the glass cube. The Master took the flashlight, turned it on and blinded me with a ray of light.

"You're an Everafter!" he said cheerfully. "The light is silvery blue, so that means you're a daughter of a rather strong warlock and some fairy. Excellent! Now, getting to the point… My followers are planning to make the Everafters rule the world, instead of these filthy h-h-humans," his voice was full of fury when he said that. "Would you join the Scarlet Hand, since you're an Everafter as well?"

I didn't know whether to believe him or not. I mean, I couldn't guess which side was wrong: the Scarlet Hand or their enemies.

"If you join us, you'll become rich, have you memory back, and escape the barrier," the Master told me.

"What barrier?" I was confused.

"You can't go more than… eh… let me remember… four miles away from here. A magical barrier is surrounding this place. Humans have constructed it, and the Everafters are stuck here like in a simple prison! We've suffered here for two hundred plus years – can you think of it?"

"How cruel!" I exclaimed. The Master nodded.

"I'm planning to collapse that wretched barrier and set the Everafters free."

* * *

I thought that probably it would be better to join this Hand. Even if the Everafters (whatever can that word mean) were bad, it was still unfair to keep them imprison for two centuries! I couldn't even imagine that! Humans must be heartless beings, I guessed and said:

"Well, I think I'll better join the Hand. Now, could anyone tell me more about this organization so that I'd make my choice?"

"Anthony, Gerald, instruct her," the Master said in a bored voice. "I'll go and repair these laser guns."

"With pleasure, Master," the men bowed. The Master turned and walked away.

* * *

**The next chapter will bring a SHOCKING twist of the plot.**


	3. Easily Tricked

**Chapter 3. Easily Tricked**

Louise's POV

When the Master left us, I turned to Anthony and Gerald.

"So, I'd like to hear more about this interesting organization… please," I said. Anthony (or was it Gerald? They looked so similar) chuckled bitterly and said:

"You don't need to listen to all those instructions. You haven't really joined the Hand, after all."

"But I'm _going_ to join it!"

"No, never. The Master saw that you lost your memory. So he added you to the lists of his followers only to trick and kill you."

"What?" I cried, shocked.

"That," the man said sarcastically. "You're not an Everafter. You're a human."

"A human? But… b-but… the Test Light…"

"Indicated just that," he finished for me. "The Master understood that you're a human, moreover, you have the blood of the Grimms in your veins. The Grimms are the most hated enemies of ours. The Master wants to kill you. We don't know how he'll do it, and it's none of our concern. No, no, don't run away. Now you can't leave the castle. Nottingham put a barrier that prevents only _you _from leaving."

"Oh, no!" I cried in despair and cursed the moment when I came to this horrible place. "You heartless beasts!"

"We won't imprison you, because our enemies check our prisons on a regular basis. They might rescue you. You'll be a slave - till your death. You'll work for the Hand. Where should we put her, Gerald?"

"I think we should put her to repair the Crimson Tower. Charming's army bombed it ten days ago," Gerald said slowly.

"Excellent idea!" Anthony grinned.

"Have some mercy!.." I pleaded, but they ignored me. Gerald brought a pair of hancuffs and my hands were bound again. Anthony led me towards the ruins of a sandstone reddish tower. Dozens of people with hancuffed hands were restoring it: they carried the stones back to the place where the tower had once stood, prepared the cement mortar, examining the plans of the building.

"Go over there!" Anthony ordered. "Find the sandstones that were blown away after the collapse. Carry them over here," he pointed in another direction.

I burst into tears, but I had to obey. I went to work. There were lots of sandstones lying on the ground, so I took one in each of my hands and carried them to the place where the tower itself was being rebuilt.

A young slave took the stones.

"You're new, right?" he asked. "What did you do?"

"I have no memory of my past," I explained. "I woke up two hours ago in the forest with no memory. I found out my name. Louise. Then I was forced to go here, and I joined the Hand - or at least I thought so. They told me that I was human, and I was related to the Grimms, and they sent me to work."

"Oh, I see," the slave said. "And my name's Toby. I'm Ms. Muffet's son. I have been too impolite with the Master, so... well, I'm here as well."

"Don't stop working!" Anthony shouted. I noticed a whip in his hand. "Go back to work now!"

I felt tears on my face again. What had I done? It wasn't my fault that I was a human. I was genuinely eager to join the Scarlet Hand... Also, I lacked any memory. Why did they treat me in such a way?

"Go to work, it's better," Toby advised. "Anthony's whip can hurt a lot. When Gerald is on duty, we can relax. Gerald is quite soft."

So I continued carrying sandstones from all over the garden. Thankfully, I turned out to be rather strong, so I had never stopped until Anthony blew a whistle and yelled:

"Dinner's brought! You have a break!"

The dinner consisted of bread, vegetables, a loaf of raw beef and a cup of water. Only when I sat on the ground to eat all this, I realized that I was exhausted.

Another slave noticed it and whispered to me:

"We have an hour and a half of working after dinner. We work from sunrise to sunset. It's September now, our working hours are shorter. Winter's coming, and winter is the easiest of all."

"Oh, the length of time doesn't matter to me now," I said quietly.

When most of us hadn't even finished eating, Anthony ordered:

"Enough resting! Go to work."

The last hour and a half passed slowly. During the sunset, I was silently begging the sun:

"Please, disappear under the horizon... It's time... We need to rest..."

Finally, the glow of the sun faded. It was dusk now. Anthony led us to a row of small wooden cabins, each had a dozen of sleeping bags inside. I crawled into a free sleeping bag, cried and cried, and wished to wake up from this brutal, terrifying nightmare.

* * *

Unfortunately, I didn't wake up from it. I mean, I woke up, but I was awakened by Gerald's shouts:

"Slaves! Eat your meal and work!"

I groaned:

"If I have to suffer this until the Master somehow kills me, I wish he does it soon..."

I got out of the sleeping bag and exited the cabin.

* * *

**So, was the chapter a shock? The next chapter will have a surprising twist of the plot too...**

**Review please!**


	4. The Traitor's Order

**Chapter 4. The Traitor's Order**

Louise's POV

Ten days passed. I had been constantly working as a slave of the Scarlet Hand. I got closely acquainted with several other slaves, Toby, for example. Most of them were former members of the Scarlet Hand. They were punished for rudeness, disobeying, and everything like that. There were no humans in the slaves' cabins, except for myself.

The eleventh day of my horrible life in the Scarlet Fort came.

Anthony was on duty, so we prepared to suffer a lot, as usual. But instead, the man came to us with a sorrowful expression on his face and announced:

"Bad fate had come upon us! The old woman's human body, the current body of our glorious Master, had a cardiac infarction. It's a terrible kind of sickness, and our Master can even die from it. Join us in our mourning! Until the Master heals, you're free."

I couldn't hide my joy. The other slaves could do nothing with it either. They let out a collective sigh of relief and smiled. Anthony frowned:

"How dare you be glad about the Master being sick!" he yelled. "If I was the one to decide, I wouldn't have set you free ever!"

We tried to pretend sorrow, but all I mustered was some odd sour expression on my face. Nevertheless, Anthony stopped shouting. Gerald came and unbound our hands.

"Go and use all of your magic to cure the Master!" Anthony told us in a theatrically tragic voice. The slaves were glad to escape their usual working place, so they ran to the main building of the fort eagerly, led by Gerald. I was left alone and shyly raised my hand.

"What's that?" Anthony asked.

"As you said, sir, I'm human. I have no magic powers."

"Good," Anthony said suddenly. "I was going to bring that myself, but it will be more safe to send you... They'll never suspect a slave human. Oh, and it also can harm an Everafter."

I hadn't any idea what he meant by that, but he dug in his pockets and shoved me a small bottle with a clear, water-like liquid inside.

"Come to the main building and tell the guards that this is a medicine for the Master," Anthony ordered. "The guards will ask you to drink some of it - well, take a small sip. Everything's safe."

I was confused.

"Go there now!" Anthony was back to his usual rude tone. I didn't dare to disobey and ran in the direction of the spectacular palace. Two hobgoblin guards stopped me:

"Who are you? What's in the bottle?"

"My name's Louise, I'm a servant of Anthony Oldshoe's," I said, trembling. "This bottle contains a medicine for the Master."

"A _medicine, _huh?" a guard snapped. "A healing one, not a _killing _one?"

"No, no, no, not at all..."

"Well, then, take some of it yourself."

I opened the bottle and drank some of the liquid. It was ice cold and tasted bittersweet. When it streamed down my throat, I realized that it might have really been a poison - and I took it! Why did I always act so silly? Anthony wanted to get rid of me!..

The guards told me to wait for an hour. Besides the fear and the shock, I felt alright.

Finally, the hobgoblins were sure that the medicine wasn't poisoned. They opened the doors and explained to me how to get to the medical room. I went to the third floor of the palace, found the room, and several fairy doctors took the bottle from me. I quickly ran downstairs and stormed away, to the Crimson Tower ruins.

Anthony was anxiously walking around the yard. He saw me and asked in a low voice:

"Did you give the bottle to the doctors?"

"I did, sir," I said.

"And did you taste the liquid yourself?"

"I had to, sir. I drank only a drop or two."

"Well, it's better for you," Anthony laughed. "It was a strong poison, actually. I didn't tell you this before because you wouldn't have agreed to deliver it to the palace."

I had been right! I felt panic rising in my heart.

"But a drop or two might only cause..." Anthony murmured some calculations. "A heart arrhythmia, or maybe a heart attack. At least that's what happened to me when I made the poison and accidentally confused it for pure water. But I'm an Everafter, so - no promises for you."

He marched away, but then turned to me again and added:

"The so-called Master will be dead in an hour."

I sat on a chunk of sandstone and cried.

* * *

I don't know how much time passed before I finally stopped crying. My heart was feeling normal, so I tried to reassure myself:

"Don't worry. You won't die, probably, since you're feeling good now, almost two hours after drinking that thing."

Then I heard people shouting far away:

"The Master had died!"

"And yet..." I thought. "How can I trust Anthony's words?.. Since he has betrayed and murdered his Master, why would he let some human live?"

I sat on the chunk, panicked and confused, and ignored the mess that started around me.

* * *

**Every chapter will now bring a surprise. That's why the story has a word "twisted" in the title! It will be like someone's twisted dream.**


	5. Run Away In All The Mess

**Thanks for reviewers!**

**This chapter's not as surprising as the previous one, but Puckabrina appears _here._Chapter 5. Run Away In All The Mess**

* * *

Louise's POV

Suddenly, someone took my hand and said:

"We heard that you were found out to be a Grimm."

I turned around and saw a blond eighteen-year-old girl dressed in silvery armor.

"Who are you?" I asked. "Another person to trick me?"

"Tricks are Puck's profession, not mine," she said proudly. "I may be stubborn and suspicious, but I'm always honest. My name's Sabrina Grimm. Our spies have heard that you're one of us."

"I have no memory of the past!" I said. "I remember only the last ten days of my life. I've accidentally found out about my first name Louise, but I can't say if I'm a Grimm or not."

"Well, you still have to come with me to our army's fortress," Sabrina shrugged. "We're detectives. We can help you to restore your memory. Of course, if you're _very_ devoted to the Hand, then…"

"Nonsense!" I cried. "I hate the Scarlet Hand! There are lies everywhere, I can't tell right from wrong! Please, take me away from here!"

"OK, let's go away in that case," Sabrina said. "I broke into the fort in all this mess. But the mess will stop some time later, and we'll have troubles."

We ran across the yard to a small hole in the fort's wall. Sabrina urged me to come through it. I can't say it was easy, but I could do anything to escape that dreaded place. Sabrina followed me, and soon we ran away into the thick woods.

Five minutes later, Sabrina sighed:

"We can slow down now."

We caught our breaths, and then Sabrina asked me:

"By the way, _what _is the mess about?"

"The Master of the Hand had died," I explained. "They say it was… eh… how is it called?.. oh, yeah, a cardiac infarction. But I know better! The Master was poisoned! And _I _helped a traitor to poison him!"

Sabrina blanched:

"You mean… you mean… the old woman's body… is d-dead?"

"I believe it is," I said carefully. Tears streamed down Sabrina's cheeks:

"It was my grandmother's body! Mirror – the Master, I mean – took over her, and now he's dead, it serves him right, but Granny Relda's dead too!"

She cried and cried, and I felt terribly sorry:

"I – I didn't mean to poison her… him… Another man from the Hand gave the bottle with the poison to me… I brought it to the doctors…"

"Oh, I don't blame _you_!" Sabrina said. "I blame my bad luck! I blame the Scarlet Hand!"

* * *

We walked in silence until we approached a veil of greenish mist with golden letters hanging in midair:

_Beware! You came to Fort Charming!_

A golden-haired young man (around Sabrina's age) with pink wings and a wooden sword, flew out of a bush nearby:

"WHO'S TH… oh, ugly, it's you."

I was quite offended until I realized that he was addressing Sabrina. Sabrina frowned and snapped:

"Puck, I can defend myself from some brainless fairies."

"Hey, and you brought a stranger, right?" Puck said, finally noticing me.

"She's supposedly a Grimm, according to the Test Light," Sabrina explained. "She lost her memory and was enslaved by the Scarlet Hand," tears slipped from her eyes again. "And, Puck… Granny has died."

Puck's teasing grimace was replaced with shock:

"The old lady?"

Sabrina nodded. There was a long silence between the two. I was sure that Puck wanted to comfort Sabrina somehow, but didn't know how to do it. Sabrina, on the other hand, was wiping tears away.

Finally, Puck looked at her with pity and took her hand, and they stepped through the mist. Sabrina turned to me and gestured to follow them. I slowly obeyed. The mist was almost unnoticeable, it was only colder than the rest of the air around me.

I walked faster, not wanting to get lost.

* * *

Fort Charming was a striking contrast to the Scarlet Fort. It was built of white limestones and cobblestones, with several wooden and pink granite towers rising to the sky. There was no blast of lightning coming from the gates, only a guard shouting from the wall:

"Who goes there!"

"Puck and I have come!" Sabrina yelled back. "Also, we have a Scarlet Hand's human slave rescued!"

"Open the gates!" the guard shouted to someone inside the fort. The gates slowly opened, revealing a view of living cabins, towers, weapons, warehouses, an armory - everything a proper fortress needed.

A black-haired woman rushed to Sabrina and hugged her:

"Oh, how did you rescue a slave out of the Scarlet Fort?"

"Mom, I have terrible news," Sabrina sobbed. "Mirror has been killed, but so was Granny's body."

"What?" cries came from around the fort, and several people ran to us.

"Louise has told me about it," Sabrina gestured to me. "She is that former slave. Louise, let me introduce: my mother Veronica, my father Henry, my sister Daphne, my brother Basil, my uncle Jake, then our good friends Red and Mr. Canis."

"Are you sure Relda's dead?" the elderly man whom Sabrina called Mr. Canis asked.

"Well, they announced it and started to prepare their Master's funeral," I said, uncertain. What if I was wrong?

"Louise has lost her memory, she's very confused about everything," Sabrina said. "Will we help her to remember who she is?"


	6. Louise Grimm

__

**Chapter 6. Louise Grimm**

Louise's POV

The Grimm family led me to a large white tent. Sabrina said:

"It's our hospital. Nurse Sprat already has two patients who need to regain their memory. She's quite experienced with that kind of thing."

An incredibly fat woman met us inside the tent. Sabrina told her my story, and she smiled and nodded:

"Oh, poor thing. Now, Louise, I'll try to help you. Mr. Canis can also help, because he has lost quite a bit of his memory himself, but he succeeds in slowly restoring it," Mr. Canis stepped towards the table and started to pick out some bottles and boxes of tablets.

"We'll stay here," Daphne Grimm said. "We're detectives, after all. It's our job to find out who's Louise."

I suddenly felt fear. What could I uncover in my past?

"I'm intrigued," Sabrina added. "The Scarlet Hand mentioned something about Louise being our relative."

"All right, all right," Nurse Sprat raised her hand. "Let's get to the point. Mr. Canis, is there a large bottle of fresh Anti-Forgetful Dust?"

Mr. Canis handed her one of the bottles. She poured some green dust into a tablespoon and told me to take it. I shuddered and stepped backward. I didn't forget my experience with unidentified medicines.

"It's safe," Veronica Grimm assured me. "Don't worry."

I pushed the spoon away.

"There's a meaning in it," Nurse Sprat concluded. "The girl has a reason to be frightened. Louise, what's all this about, could you tell me?"

I finally told them the truth:

"I had to taste the poison that was used to kill the Master. I drank a drop or two of it."

"Why?" Nurse Sprat exclaimed. I explained her how I had to deliver the bottle with poison to the Master's palace. Nurse Sprat sighed:

"Poor Relda..."

There was a pause, and she continued:

"But this green dust is very safe, it only helps you to regain memory. I wouldn't give you a dangerous medicine."

She gave me the spoonful of dust, and I ate the dust at last. A flow of memory filled my mind almost immediately. But all of it was a memory of the past eleven days.

"I remember the details of only the last eleven days of my life," I said aloud.

"Hmmm... Interesting..." Nurse Sprat said. "So I know something in that case. Grimms, listen, the reason of Louise's memory loss is magical! Someone rubbed her memory away. She didn't lose it because of a wound, of a swoon or anything!"

"I was almost sure that the reason was magical," Sabrina shrugged. "How can Louise restore her memory now?"

"I think - I hope that her memory wasn't rubbed off completely, but the mind is blocked from achieving it," Nurse Sprat said slowly.

"Like a computer when it has problems with connecting to a network?" Jake Grimm suggested.

"Yeah, something like this. I need to scan Louise's brain."

"But you don't have good medical and magical equipment!" Veronica argued.

"No problem," Sprat chuckled. "I'll call Morgan le Fay to construct it. Meanwhile, Louise can go for a walk and clear her head. It will be really useful for her health in general and for her memory regaining in particular."

"I'll show you the garden and the living area!" Daphne offered. She and Sabrina took my hands, and we walked out of the medical tent.

* * *

**An hour later**

I was sitting in the garden and admiring the lovely rosebushes around me, when I suddenly heard Nurse Sprat's voice:

"Louise! We're ready!"

I sighed and went back to the medical tent. I was terribly afraid of my memories. The scan of my brain wasn't so frightening, but its result was. I entered the tent, trembling. Nurse Sprat led me to an armchair and told me to sit there.

"Don't be nervous," she smiled and turned on some enormous machine. For a second, I was blinded with a ray of purple light, but then it disappeared.

"This is all," the Nurse said. "Now let's look at the magicomputer."

"At what?" Henry Grimm asked.

"A magical computer," she laughed. "I hope it will show us the main part of Louise's memory."

She pointed to a machine that resembled a computer, walked to it and gazed at its sparkling screen.

"HOORAY!" she cried. And then:

"Uh-oh..."

"You found it out?.." all of us exclaimed in unison. I ran to the magicomputer and pushed Nurse Sprat away from it: I was so anxious that I forgot about manners and everything.

There was a rather long text displayed on the screen:

* * *

_THE SHORT OVERVIEW OF BIOGRAPHY AND MEMORY OF LOUISETTE SUSANNAH EDWARDS_

_Father: Frederick Edwards_

_Mother: Daisy Edwards (nee Larson)_

_Date of Birth: 04/05/1997_

_Louisette's father, Frederick, son of Edwin and Matilda Grimm, was kidnapped by the Scarlet Hand and thrown into the Hudson River. The Scarlet Hand had predicted that the boy's descendant would crash this evil organization. Luckily, Frederick didn't drown: a boat full of tourists saved him. He was adopted by one of these tourists and got a new last name: Edwards. _

He lived and still lives in Philadelphia.

_When he was twenty, he got married to his bosom friend Daisy Larson, and Louis__ette Susannah was born two years ago. She had a happy childhood, but when she was thirteen, the Scarlet Hand tracked her down and decided to kill her. Louisette received a warning note from somebody, signed "True Friend", but she didn't pay much attention to it._

_The Hand captured her on her way home from school, but they didn't kill her, or at least they hadn't succeeded in it. Instead, they blocked her mind from using her memory and left her in a forest near the Scarlet Fort._

* * *

Then, there was an overview of my life in the Scarlet Fort and my rescue.

I was stunned.

"So my poor dear parents live in Philadelphia, and I'm _here_!" I cried.

"The Scarlet Hand didn't kill you," Veronica said. "It's interesting. And they predicted that _you _would get it crashed."

"I already did," I said. "It was me who brought the poison to the Master!"

"I don't think so, it wasn't your _idea_ to poison him," Henry argued. "I think there will be something else. Anyway, I'm sure that we must inform your parents. By the way, your father appears to be my second cousin! Edwin Grimm was my father's cousin, you see."

"And you're our... ehh..." Daphne thought for a while. "third cousin!.."

"Another Grimm," Veronica smiled happily.

"Oh, I do so hope Charming will be surprised," Puck said. "He reacts to the appearance of new Grimms in such a HILARIOUS way..."


	7. Strange Symptoms

**Note to the reviewers and all the readers: since the story's MEANT to be twisted, every chapter will be pretty unpredictable. I've already said that, so sorry if you don't see what you wanted to see in Chapter 7.**

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* * *

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Chapter 7. Strange Symptoms

Louise's POV

"Well, should we dig further through my memory and find my parents' phone numbers?" I asked, grinning widely. Nurse Sprat nodded and clicked some icon on the magicomputer screen. The screen grew red, and white letters appeared on it:

**ERROR: NO INFORMATION FOUND**

"What?" I cried, distressed.

"I… I feared it wouldn't happen…" Sprat whispered. "Either the magicomputer's mistaken or the Scarlet Hand rubbed the detailed memory away. Anyway, it's very bad."

Suddenly, I felt an unexpected heartache. It was like if my heart had stopped. I squeaked and my body became weak. I fell on the ground.

"The poison…" I breathed. "I think here it is…"

Nurse Sprat and Veronica forgot about the magicomputer and ran to me. Veronica found a jar of cold water on the table and filled a glass with it, then giving it to me. While I was drinking the water, Nurse Sprat checked my heartbeat.

"Hmmm… Odd," she said. "The heart is all right. It shouldn't have felt pain at all."

"It does, nevertheless…" I said.

Mr. Canis and Henry Grimm carried me to a couch in the other end of the tent.

"I think it's better for you to heal at first," Sabrina said. "Then we'd contact your parents. What if the sickness is magical?"

"It has something to do with the poison," I said to myself. "I'm quite certain."

* * *

**Later**

Nurse Sprat was reading different cardiology books to find out anything about my strange symptoms. Meanwhile, I wasn't getting better. My brain was overwhelmed with a flow of memory, but I couldn't understand anything: it was too blurry. My heart hurt, and it pained me to breathe. Every single healing magic potion available was given to me.

I heard some shouts from the other end of the fort.

"What's that?" I asked nervously.

"Oh, nothing. Sabrina and Puck are fighting as usual. Nothing for you to worry about," Nurse Sprat said.

The shouts continued.

"Hm, their fight seems to be especially furious today," the Nurse frowned, as if slighty confused.

Suddenly, after some time, Daphne rushed into the medical tent:

"Granny's here! We all thought she was murdered! But she's here! I don't know what to think! She's here! At the fort's door!"

"What?" we cried in unison. I already knew that the Master of the Hand took over Relda Grimm's body long ago, and I was sure that "Granny Relda" had been killed by Anthony's poison! Nurse Sprat seemed even more startled: she used to be a good friend of Relda's.

An old woman pushed past Daphne and went inside the tent. She looked exactly like the woman who turned out to be body of the Master.

"N-Nurse?.." she said with tears in her eyes. The voice wasn't one of a man - it was a soft voice of an elderly woman. "C-can you bel-lieve me at last?"

"Granny, if it's you, tell us how you stayed alive," Sabrina pleaded as she joined us. "Louisette - this girl on the couch - was ordered by one of the Hand traitors to bring the poison that would supposedly kill Mirror - and you. She had to _barely _taste the poison and look at her now! Her heart is aching badly. And it's amazing that you appeared to drink a glassful of it..."

"I _didn't drink any poison_," Relda said loudly. "The last thing I remember before being possessed is the Book of Everafter. Then - a long blackness, nothingness, vacuum... and I open my eyes and find myself perfectly alone in a forest, on the beach of the Golden Brook - you remember it, right?"

"General Seven told us about it once. It's two miles away from the Scarlet Fortress," Daphne nodded. The rest of the Grimm family heard the story and hurried to come to the entrance of the medical tent.

Suddenly, I recalled where I had found myself after the memory loss. A brook nearby... the forest... the Scarlet Fort two miles away...

"Oh!" I exclaimed. Everybody's attention turned to me.

"It's just the place where I was put somehow - where I woke up after the memory wipe!" I cried.

Jake Grimm took a map out of one of his countless pockets and examined it:

"There's the only brook two miles away from the Scarlet Fort," he announced. "The Golden Brook."

"The two events are surely connected!" Daphne cried. Relda dug her own pocket, took out a notebook and a pen, and wrote the fact down.

"You're my real mother!" Henry grinned happily. "You always have your notebook with you!"

* * *

**In the evening**

The Grimm family was finally reunited. After the greetings and a small family party, Relda and I helped Veronica with summarizing all this mysterious case. Veronica wrote in her journal:

_Nearly twelve days ago. Louisette Susannah Edwards wakes up not far from the Golden Brook. She has a purse with a photo of hers and an anonymous warning letter. She has no memory of her life in her mind. She goes in a random direction and gets trapped and enslaved in the Scarlet Fort. Anthony and Gerald Oldshoe escort her to the Crimson Tower. Mirror is in Relda Grimm's body._

_Today morning. Anthony reports of his Master's heart attack. All Everafter slaves are sent to use healing powers for Mirror. While everyone's gone, Anthony gives Louisette a bottle filled with liquid - supposedly a medicine. Louise brings the bottle to the main building of the Fort, and the guards force her to taste the liquid. The "medicine" is cold and bittersweet. An hour passes, and no symptoms appear. The medicine's taken to the Master. Louisette comes to Anthony, who tells her that it had been a strong poison. He leaves her alone, and some time later, the news of the Master's death start spreading. In all the mess, Sabrina Grimm rescues Louisette and brings her to Fort Charming._

_Nurse Sprat helps Louisette to restore some memory, but, suddenly, Louisette starts to have a queer pain in her heart._

_Today evening. Relda Grimm wakes up in the same place as Louisette did twelve days earlier. She's alone, all she has is her notebook and her pen (in the pockets). She quickly figures out her position and hurries to the fort._

"A very odd case," Veronica said, after writing it down. "What do we have here now? The same place... huh... obviously not a coincidence. What else do we have? Anthony gives Louise... Louisette the poison when they're all alone. He sends all the slaves and Gerald away! He doesn't want anybody to see it. But wait a minute - _he's _the one who first informed the people about Relda's heart attack. _He _told Louisette about the poison. And who started shouting about the Master's death, Louisette?"

"Call me Louise," I cringed. "I don't like long names... Well, I think, I'm almost sure it was Anthony who shouted first."

"He wanted to make everyone - and Louise in the first place - think that Mirror and I are both dead," Relda said. "And he must have done something that freed my mind."

"Well, I have dozens of questions for your version," Veronica shrugged.

"I have them myself. It's just a "beta" version, you know. Questions are the following. Why did Anthony do it? Why did he free me? How could he set me free in the forest, when I was alone? Why was everybody sure that Mirror was dying and died? Why did he send Louise to drink the poison? If he wanted to kill her, why didn't he do it simply - choke, stab, hit the girl? He had all the rights to do it."

"We have a lot of work!" Daphne said joyfully.

"We need to scan your memory, Relda," Mr. Canis offered. "This can help. It helped Louisette, after all."

"All right," Relda agreed.


	8. Nothing Is Actually Understood

**Chapter 8. Nothing Is Actually Understood**

Louise's POV

Nurse Sprat prepared the memory scan once more, and Relda sat into the armchair. Then there was another bright flash of light, and the screen of the magicomputer lit up again. We rushed to it. Sprat showed us the overview of the past day.

I pushed my way to look at the screen and – for the hundredth time in the last eleven days – I was amazed.

_

* * *

_

**THE OVERVIEW OF RELDA GRIMM'S MEMORY**

DATE: TODAY

The memories are mostly blurry, but the way of events can be figured out.

5.43 in the morning. Mirror wakes up and orders Mrs. Arachnid to cook his usual breakfast. She obeys and soon gives him a couple of sandwiches with a cup of hot tea. Mirror eats it and starts writing battle plans. Anthony Oldshoe comes to him and asks him for a good sharp sword.

"Why do you need it?" Mirror asks.

"Master, my old sword is rusty, and I need one for the next week's training."

"OK. The Sheriff of Nottingham will watch you while you search the armory for a proper blade."

"Thank you a lot, Master," Anthony bowes respectfully and leaves the room.

7.30 in the morning. The slaves are up, and Mirror hears Anthony shouting something. Suddenly, there are sounds of a large noise in the yard. Mirror looks out of the window. A crowd of slaves is running towards the palace, and Anthony is trying to outrun them. Finally, he succeeds and comes to Mirror.

"Master! The slaves have organized a rebellion!" he cries.

"Fools. They think they can defeat me," Mirror says with a chuckle. "Take out your horn and blow into it to call all our soldiers. I'll shoot lightning."

Anthony takes his horn and blows a note.

THEN THERE IS A LONG BREAK IN MEMORY, WHICH LASTS TILL 20.43 IN THE EVENING.

20.43 in the evening. Relda wakes up and sees only a forest around her and a brook several feet away. Since this brook - the Golden Brook - is well-known in Fort Charming, Relda quickly figures out her position and hurries to the fort. She gets there by 22.10 p. m.

_

* * *

_

"There's nothing new in the text!" Sabrina scowled as she stared at the screen.

"There is, actually," I argued. "But it only makes this case more twisted."

"Well, what did you find here, then?"

"For example, it says there that Anthony came to Mirror to tell him about the slaves' rebellion. But Anthony didn't follow the slaves to the palace! On the contrary, he and I have been in the yard, near the Crimson Tower, until I left and walked to the one and only free entrance to the palace! How could Anthony get there without being invisible or using a teleporter? I don't have any smallest guess."

"But he _could_ turn invisible or use a teleporter," Henry said. "I have noticed another queer detail. It says here that Anthony blew a note on the horn and it caused a long memory break."

"That's possible if the horn was the one of the North Wind!" Veronica exclaimed.

"Indeed, and the horn of the North Wind is safely with us, in our armory," Jake said. "The armories and warehouses are checked several times a day. Plus, we have cameras and magic detectors there. We'd have noticed if the horn disappeared."

"And, finally, the main mystery of the whole case still remains unsolved," Henry said. "Why did Anthony do all that? If he sympathized us and freed Mommy, why wouldn't he set Louise free as well and why would he poison the girl? If he killed his Master only to take over the Scarlet Hand leadership, why would he free Mom?"

"His actions don't agree with simple logic. Unless they have some general complicated reason," Daphne said.

"He seems to be only a trickster, like me, but not so good," Puck suggested.

"Oh please stop being an idiot," Sabrina grumbled. "You're no help at all!"

"Wait, Sabrina, we don't know Anthony's psychology," Veronica said. "What if Puck's right, and Anthony's a mischievous fool?"

"Duh! It's impossible for a grown-up."

"First, there's nothing impossible in Ferryport Landing," little Basil suddenly interrupted.

"Of course," Veronica smiled. "Second, is Anthony a grown-up?"

There was silence.

"Louise?"

"Oh..." I tried to recall Anthony's approximate age. "N-no - I mean, he was quite young. Seventeen - or about eighteen - nineteen... Maybe even around twenty, but not older."

"So if Puck behaves in such a way at eighteen..." Sabrina started, but Puck cut her speech:

"I'm NOT eighteen! I'm FOUR THOUSAND ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SIX! And I don't behave like a trickster because of age! You see, I'm..."

"The villain of the worst kind," the Grimms finished in unison.

"We didn't mean it," Relda said. "Some other people might behave oddly - like you - but because of their age. Anthony Oldshoe may be one of them."

"It's possible, but _hardly_," Henry said. "Who else can explain Anthony's strange actions?"

"It's all part of his plan," I guessed. "But then, what's the whole plan?"

"I think we should question Anthony himself before offering random guesses," Daphne said. "I don't think we should capture him and - well, you know, bring him to the fort, imprison him - 'cause he might be secretly on our side. But we mustn't go straight to the Scarlet Fort. I think that the questioning should take place in the forest, on that well-known meadow near the Golden Brook."

"Ha, a good idea, if Anthony agrees for it," Jake said.

"I think this place is a special one in his plans, whatever they are," Daphne continued. "I just _know _it is. Or we can send a messenger with a white flag to the Scarlet Fort."

"Let's think about the matter, then," Veronica started, but the discussion was interrupted by a small dwarf dressed in armor running into the medical tent.

"There's a messenger... from the Scarlet... Fort!" he said, barely catching his breath. "Their... Master has... disappeared and they... think that... we've captured him!"

The Grimms, except for Relda, ran outside. I carefully looked at the gates of Fort Charming and saw the familiar figure and face of Anthony.

I quickly hid again. But Anthony noticed me.

"Oh, by the way, you're hiding an escaped slave also," I heard his voice. "Louisette Susannah Edwards is a slave of the Scarlet Hand, for your information!"

"No! She's our relative, our third cousin!" Sabrina snapped angrily.

"What allows you to think so? Her last name is Edwards. Her father is an Edwards, and her mother is a Larson. What do you have to say about this?"

"We scanned her memory!" Henry shouted.

"So what? You believed a good old fairytale story about a boy thrown into the river because of some silly predictions. 'His descendants will crash down the Scarlet Hand'! Ugh! And then that boy rescued and given another name. Good. Just wonderful. Then the boy's daughter would kill the Hand's Master, and the Hand would surrender. A lovely fairytale, like one written by the Brothers Grimms or, say, Andersen. Excellent job! But nothing's true! Read Edwin and Matilda's diaries, if you want! Not one of them has a record about a Frederick Grimm born to Matilda! Now what else do you have to say?"

"She told us that you had said: 'There's the Grimms' blood in your veins'!" Veronica cried.

"Poor girl, indeed. She believes whatever a person tells her. Louisette's a half-Everafter! The Master genuinely advised her to join the Hand, he didn't even know that we made her a slave!"

"Oh, I'm glad our soldiers obey the leader's orders," Daphne sang.

"The Scarlet Hand will crash itself with such devoted people as its members!" Jake said and slammed the gates in Anthony's face.

I sat in the corner of the medical tent, crying. I believed that I had finally found a true family! And it had been a lie as well. The Grimms were so kind and caring, but now I was once again a stranger to them.

I hardly convinced myself to listen to the noise coming from outside again.

Anthony opened the gates:

"So, you didn't answer where's our Master."

"It's you who has to answer it!" Veronica said. "We checked Relda's memory, you know."

"I don't know a thing," Anthony said. "I hoped so much that the poison would kill him, but alas, no. Listen, if you find him hiding somewhere here, murder him. He's the worst Everafter ever born."

He was going to turn and go away, but suddenly he stopped in his tracks and smiled:

"Oh, and don't forget to tell Louise that she's the niece of Jack the Giant Killer. Maybe she'll join the Hand after all."

He left the fort at last and disappeared from the view.


	9. Another Family, Another Story

**Chapter 9. Another Family, Another Story**

Louise's POV

The Grimms ran to me. Veronica hugged me and spoke some words of comfort. Sabrina tried to convince me that Anthony had lied again. Daphne was assuring me that it didn't matter if I had been a human or an Everafter.

Henry and Jake were the only ones who didn't panic. They ran to the living area and soon returned with an enormous pile of hand-written books and journals.

"Quickly, check our family's diaries! Find anything about Jack the Giant Killer's relations!" Henry said. "We'll now find everything out."

Sabrina, Daphne and Basil took several journals and started reading them. Everyone joined the children. This reading lasted long. I was anxious to know whether Anthony had told the truth or lied once more.

Finally, Veronica looked up from an old book and cried happily:

"There it is!"

"What? Where?" the people asked. I pushed my way through this crowd of Grimms.

"The 3rd volume of Edwin Grimm's diary!" Veronica explained, pointing at the book. "It has a record on Jack's brother Frederick moving to America."

We stood near her as she read aloud the handwritten passages:

________________________

___________

* * *

_

____________

Jack the Giant Killer's young stepbrother Frederick arrived to Washington, D. C. two days ago. He's going to get married to a human, actually, his pen friend Daisy Larson. He changed his German surname and so he's now Frederick Edwards. His real surname means "Death to all of the giants" and it's also quite long.

Jack and Frederick are the exact types of "bad" and "good" stepbrothers. Frederick is soft, polite, and shy. I've met him: Matilda and I have gone for several days to Washington, so we visited him. In fact, right now we are on our way to our home, sweet home - Fairyport Landing. I'm writing this entry in the train - I never get travelsick.

* * *

"There's another note, written two years later," Veronica commented.

______________________

* * *

_Frederick (Jack the Giant Killer's stepbrother) and Daisy Edwards have a child now. It's a daughter, her name's Louisette Susannah. Frederick calls her simply Louise; it's Mrs. Edwards who's quite fond of long names. _

_Louisette is a lovely kid, according to their letter. She's "very like Frederick, ever-smiling, with rosy cheeks. We know she'll grow up into a very, very nice person!.."_

* * *

"Wait, Mom, can I please see this journal?" Sabrina asked suddenly. She took the journal and flipped through its pages. "No. It's not here. Where's Volume Four of Edwin's diary?"

We all digged through the books and notebooks until I spotted one named "Edwin Alvin Grimm's Diary. Part Four". Sabrina snatched it and searched through it carefully.

"Uh. Oh," she said slowly, stopping at one of the pages. "Just. Look."

I looked at the journal and read an entry about my disappearance.

____________________

* * *

_Frederick (the one who's Jack the G. K.'s stepbrother) has phoned us recently. His now fifteen-year-old daughter Louisette Susannah had disappeared. On the 5th of April, 1957, she went to her school as usual. During the lunchtime break, Mrs. Edwards visited her - and everything was alright. But Louisette didn't come home. The police searched for her and found an abandoned taxi car with an odd sign on it: a scarlet handprint. There were Louisette's books and pens and papers lying on the backseat, but the girl's purse was gone, as well as the girl herself and the taxi driver._

_The next clue was a letter Frederick received on the next day. The letter was very strange:_

_"Your __daughter__, Louisette Susannah, is the niece of Jack the Giant Killer. She hopefully has his skills. She's alive. To meet her, anyway, please come to the Grand Central Station in New York City."_

_Frederick and his wife followed the order and flew to New York, accompanied by three policemen. But a cashier in a souvenir shop not far from Grand Central gave them another note:_

_"To meet your daughter, go to Ferryport Landing by train."_

_They did just so, and they found a envelope on the platform, with a letter inside:_

_"To meet your daughter, consult the Grimm family. They're the best human detectives. Maybe they'll find her. GO."_

_The envelope and all of the letters were free of any handprints. The cashier in New York claimed that two tall men wearing glasses came into the shop and bribed him to give the note to Frederick and Daisy Edwards._

_This cashier was proved to be respectable and law-abiding, he had many friends, so he obviously didn't take part in Louisette's kidnapping. _

_The police continued searching, but they found nothing. We tried to help them, but Matilda and I are helpless either._

_We don't know what to do. It's an incredibly difficult case; the hardest one of all cases we've ever encountered._

* * *

"Well, what do you think?" Veronica asked.

"The letters could have been fake - maybe they were left to cause even more confusion and mystery," Sabrina said. "Or they might have been a magical illusion. And the cashier - the cashier - the cashier was simply tricked by the Hand."

"The last letter could have also been left by a good guy," Jake argued. "He advised Mr. and Mrs. Edwards to consult us."

Meanwhile, Daphne was examining the text of the last letter. Suddenly, we heard her speaking in an uncertain way:

"Hey, why is the word "go" written in capital letters?"

"The sender wanted it to look the most important," Henry shrugged.

"Maybe, maybe not," Daphne said. "What if these were initials? A signature?"

"G. O..." Relda thought aloud. "G. O. G. O. G. O. Hm, I don't remember anyone with such initials."

Suddenly, the answer came to me.

"G. O!" I shouted. "As for Gerald Oldshoe!"

"Of course!" Sabrina exclaimed. "He helped his brother Anthony with the kidnapping..."

"In my opinion, quite the contrary," I shook my head. "I remember that Gerald was soft and shy, and Anthony was hot-tempered and even looked evil."

"That's the point!" Henry said. "Anthony might be hot-tempered and not guilty

in your kidnapping! He always genuinely shows his emotions - not the good sort of emotions, but he never acts. Gerald is a more possible suspect. How can one be soft and shy in the Scarlet Fort? Gerald hides his true character, and nobody suspects him."

"Yeah, I agree, Dad!" Sabrina said.

"Anthony is a better trickster, but Gerald can be an evil guy," Puck added.

"But we can't decide anything without questioning both of these two brothers," Veronica said. "By the way, the initials can be fake. It might be the capitalized word "go". Anything in the case is blurry. It's always hard to investigate a crime committed fifty years ago."

"We won't ever give up!" Daphne grinned and turned to me. "And remember, Louise, we're still your family."

I smiled.

"We'll try to capture Gerald and Anthony," Jake decided. "We need more information. We can't solve the case yet with such an enormous amount of facts."

"All right," Veronica nodded. "Now, children, go to sleep. It's awfully late now, and sleep can rub distression away - it's for you, Louise, you had a very long day."

_________

* * *

_

Snow White, one of the Grimms' friends, showed me my new living cabin. Now I had to live in a relatively large house with Sabrina, Daphne, a princess called Beauty, and her daughter named Natalie. I had my own room! It seemed wonderful after the life in the slaves' cabins of the Scarlet Fort.

Before going to sleep, I went for a walk again. I breathed he cool breeze, smelled the roses and asters from the fort's gardens, admired the stars in the clear sky, and enjoyed my freedom.

When I sat on a bench, I saw some dark shadow flying over the fort's wall. It turned out to be a young falcon which was carrying a piece of paper. It opened its beak, and the paper landed to my feet.

I read it in the faint moonshine. It said:

____

* * *

_We're ready to surrender. You've won. We have lost everything. I'll give you the keys of the Scarlet Fort tomorrow at noon, near the Golden Brook. But please bring some cabbage and a piece of charcoal! It's urgently needed. Say hello to the elephant, and don't forget to feed it with cheese and beef steaks. It seems skinny, it won't be able to carry the bags with mushrooms._

_Again: we've surrendered._

_The Sheriff of Nottingham,_

_the former second Master of the Scarlet Hand._

_P.S. We have no leather boots left, and we're really cold. It's really cold now, isn't it?_

* * *

"What's that?" I cried. The falcon flew up and disappeared in the sky.

I gazed at the letter again. What madman could send it?


	10. Sabrina's Horrible Adventure

**Chapter 10. Sabrina's Horrible Adventure**

Louise's POV

I ran to my living cabin, clenching this letter. As I opened the door, I cried:

"A falcon has just brought a letter supposedly from the Scarlet Hand!"

Everyone woke up and stared at me. Beauty seemed scared and trembling. Natalie was greatly irritated by my shouts. Daphne was yawning and rubbing her eyes, half-asleep. Sabrina… wait, where was Sabrina?

"Where's Sabrina?" I asked. They looked around. Sabrina's couch was empty. The girl herself was gone.

I dropped the crazy letter. Beauty rushed outside, screaming for help. Natalie and Daphne were desperately looking under the couches, in the corners, anywhere, hoping to find Sabrina.

Meanwhile, people heard Beauty's cries and ran to our cabin. Puck appeared out of what seemed like thin air, demanding for a permission to go and find Sabrina. Mayor Charming and General Seven were shouting for silence. Women were in hysterics.

When the crowd calmed down a little, Charming said:

"Listen, people. It's very serious now. Our soldiers have been captured in the woods, on a battlefield, during espionage. But NOBODY - attention, please, NOBODY has ever been taken away right from the fort, from a living cabin, during the night, when the fort is safely guarded! If someone managed to kidnap Sabrina, we must be really careful..."

"Wait a minute, Charming," Puck suddenly interrupted. "What if Sabrina has simply sneaked out?"

There was a long silence.

"Does Sabrina act like this... usually?" I squeaked.

"Sure! She runs away in the middle of the night, without any protection, and ends up destroying a bank, or searching through an abandoned asylum for crazies, or being attacked by magical marionettes, or something like this," Puck said. "As you can see, we need to find her anyway."

"Why would she go now?" Veronica cried. "Was she trying to solve our current case?"

"I think not," I said. "I think she was watching me and then... I don't know what happened, maybe she was truly taken away by the Hand."

"Watching you - what for?" Daphne wondered.

"Well, I went for a walk to get some fresh air. Perhaps it looked suspicious to her."

"That's possible," Jake sighed. "Sabrina suspects everyone and everything - except maybe for our family."

"By the way, during my walk, a falcon flew to the castle and brought an awkward letter supposedly from the Scarlet Hand," I added. "I took it, and the falcon flew away."

"Uh-oh," Puck said.

"Let me take a look," Henry asked. I handed the letter to him. He read it carefully, and his eyes grew wide:

"I'll go crazy in here! That's the oddest mystery ever!"

He read it aloud. Everyone gasped.

"What if it's - a trap?" Snow White stammered.

"I don't know what it is," Henry snapped. "I want to know why it was sent."

"I highly doubt that the Scarlet Hand would prepare such a stupid kind of trap for us," Charming frowned. "It could have been sent to distract Louise."

I shrugged. I understood nothing in this things anymore. I was terribly confused. I didn't know what to do.

Suddenly, someone opened the gates of the fort. Someone who had the magic keys!

* * *

We were terrified enough, but when we looked at the invader, we recognized Sabrina. Sabrina didn't look herself! She was pale, trembling, and obviously scared.

"What happened?" Puck cried, rushing to her.

"I need some hot tea..." Sabrina whispered. "And some sleep. It was horrible..."

Nurse Sprat and Veronica hurried to make a cup of tea. Sabrina took several sips of it and gave the cup back to Veronica.

"Oh," she shuddered. "I hope I'll never experience that again. No, no, I won't explain anything now. I must have some sleep."

"Yeah, she's shocked and distressed," Nurse Sprat said in a worried voice. "If we ask any questions now, she'll get worse. Sabrina, go to bed."

Sabrina went to our living cabin. Puck watched the door closing.

"If she's injured or badly sick, or put under some creepy spell, I'll never forgive myself."

"For what?" General Seven was surprised. "It wasn't your fault."

"I could have followed her as a protector," Puck sighed. I had to admit that he didn't look like his usual self either. No teasing voice, no mischievous gleam in the eyes, no smirk. He really cared about Sabrina.

We tried to imagine what happened to Sabrina and how she could come back to the fort without any visible injuries but the shock. We talked about this for an hour and a half, until the door of the cabin opened and Sabrina walked to us. She was faintly smiling.

"I'm ready to tell everything," she said. "Just don't interrupt, please. It would be quite annoying, and I'm still rather tired."

"We won't comment on your tale," Henry assured his daughter. She nodded and started:

* * *

"Well, I'll start from the moment when I was almost asleep, but I heard Louise's footsteps towards the cabin's door. Louise, I'm sorry, but I suspected something wrong, so, when you left the cabin, I quietly got dressed and sneaked away. You were wandering around, and everything was just fine, but I watched you nevertheless. It's in my nature. I'm not exactly trusting, and I can't get over it."

I silently praised myself for guessing right. So Sabrina went out because she suspected me!

Sabrina continued:

"I saw you walking somewhere in the direction of the yard and the front gates. Unfortunately, I thought that you were going to sneak out of the fort, so I came to the gates, opened them and went outside, straight into the dark forest. Almost immediately, I realized my terrible mistake: Louise, you hadn't had the magic keys yet, so how could you have opened the gate?

"I was going to return back to the cabin. It was cold, and I felt sleepy. But suddenly, I saw three figures approaching me. I clenched the keys firm, so that no one would be able to snatch them.

"The three figures turned out to be the Sheriff of Nottingham, the Queen of Hearts, and an unknown man, both dressed in armor. That man handcuffed my hands and laughed, noticing the keys:

"'They don't worth a cent right now,' he said. 'We're not stupid enough to break into the fort.'

"Before I could yell for help, they dragged me into the forest. Nottingham brought his dagger to my throat.

"'So, where's our Master?' he shouted. I couldn't have been more surprised.

"'I - I don't know,' I stuttered. 'Honestly. I've heard that he had been p-poisoned.'

"The three of them laughed again. It was an awful laugh: an evil one.

"'I know, my dear elder brother spread these rumors,' the strange man nodded. 'It's a falsehood. Relda Grimm is alive and well.'

"'You're Gerald Oldshoe,' I guessed.

"The man outstretched his hand in a teasing way.

"'Gerald Oldshoe at yo... at the Scarlet Hand's service,' he chuckled. 'My brother Anthony has escaped to nobody-knows-where, so I'm free now.'

"'Enough of this useless talk!' the Queen of Hearts barked. 'Sabrina, DO YOU KNOW WHERE OUR MASTER IS?'

"'If I knew, I'd have killed him already,' I snapped.

"'You won't be able to do it,' Gerald said, took out a wand and waved it a little. The wand glowed, and the man continued. 'Now you're harmless to anyone. Like a newborn child. You can't kill anyone.'

"'We're very kind today!' Heart yelled. 'Thank your luck that you have your head on your shoulders!'

"They unbound my hands and threw me away. Then they left - I don't know where. I felt weakness all over my body, as if I had a sickness and a fever. It was horrible, I thought I was too weak to get up and go home.

"Suddenly, another man ran to me. At first I thought that Gerald Oldshoe had returned, but this man was somehow different. He had no wicked look in his eyes, and his face was serious and honest - not cunning and teasing.

"'I think you're Anthony Oldshoe,' I said aloud. The man stopped in his tracks.

"'Oh, thank goodness...' he sighed with great relief. 'I mistook you for another girl.'

"He was going to turn and walk away, but I cried desperately:

"'Wait! I'm weakened by some silly spell, and you're going to leave me here to die!..'

"The man looked at me and replied calmly:

"'I don't have any powers or wands... with me now. Fort Charming is eleven yards away, manage to get to it. I have more important things to do.'

"'More important indeed!' I complained. 'Heartless beast.'

"As he walked away, he spoke:

"'Well, Louise used to call me something like that too... She was wrong and you are wrong. Gerald is heartless, not me. If I lacked good feelings... let's just say that things would have been really freaky for you.'

"He disappeared from the view. I lay in the grass, helpless. But later some of my strength was regained, and I was able to come home. After the tea and the sleep, I feel almost normal," Sabrina sighed. "Ohh, I think I should be more trusting. Watching our new guests can have awful consequences."

* * *

We were astounded by the story. How could Sabrina suffer through this!

"You need protection, ugly, that's obvious now!" Puck broke the silence.

Sabrina blushed vaguely.

"These two brothers are like two materialized twisted mysteries!" I exclaimed. "The further we get with this case, the less I understand of Anthony and Gerald's personalities."

"Anthony's the most difficult to understand," Veronica agreed. "I dare say, I'm a good psychologist. Well, I can't know what this man is like! Good? Evil? Whose side is he on? A large riddle. A hard one to solve, too."


	11. The Long Lost Parents Are Found At Last

**Chapter 11. The Long-Lost Parents Are Found At Last**

Louise's POV

After everybody calmed down a little, Charming advised us to go and have some more sleep.

"It's three o'clock in the morning," he said, glancing at his wristwatch.

"Yeah, indeed, it's better for us to rest," Henry agreed. "After all this. And – Sabrina, you must be more trusting and more careful in the future, understand?"

"Of course," Sabrina nodded.

She, Daphne, Beauty, Natalie and I went back to sleep to our living cabin.

* * *

**In the morning**

After we woke up, I begged the Grimms to contact my poor parents. They both must have suffered so much during the years after my disappearance!

"But how can we contact them? We can't go to Washington, D. C. right now!" Veronica said. "And we don't have their phone numbers!"

"Why not?" Daphne argued. "Can we check Edwin and Matilda's diaries once more - maybe there are these numbers, written down."

Veronica hesitated for a moment but then took Edwin's journals again and started flipping through the pages. Sabrina went to work on Matilda's diaries. Daphne and I were anxiously looking at them.

An hour passed, until Sabrina finally smiled and took a tiny notebook out of the 2nd volume of Matilda's journals. She waved this notebook triumphantly. Daphne snatched it and read aloud the handwritten title:

_**Relations **and **Connections **of Ferryport Landing Everafters,_  
_from outside the barrier_  
_**Addresses **and **Phone Numbers**_

"Good, lieblings," Relda said. "We'll certainly find some information on Frederick here," and she took the notebook from Daphne. I could hardly believe that I'll soon hear my parents' voices for the first time in many years! Oh, they'll love to find me alive and well!

Relda carefully checked the "E" letter in the notebook and found the surname of "Edwards" at last. She said:

"Well, Louise, prepare yourself for a new surprise. Daisy Edwards is an Everafter too!"

"What?" I exclaimed.

She pointed at the page. I looked at it and saw my parents' names:

* * *

_Frederick Jonathan Edwards. The stepbrother of Jack the Giant Killer. Born in Germany. Traveled around the world for two hundred years. Moved to Washington, D. C to marry Daisy Larson._

_Daisy May Edwards, nee Larson. Frederick's wife. Thumbelina's second daughter. Born in Denmark. Moved to Italy. Escaped to America in the beginning of the World War II._

* * *

"Wow," I cried. "And... Wait - I remember... the Master has told me that my parents are a warlock and a fairy!"

"Well, it seems that he was right," Jake shrugged. "But there's a bad thing about it: since you're an Everafter, you can't leave Fairyport Landing."

"It's not a problem," Daphne grinned. "Mr. and Mrs. Edwards will certainly come here to meet Louise! Look, there are their phone numbers in the book, which means..."

"No, no, wait a minute!" Sabrina interrupted. "How can anyone come to our town right now? The roads are blocked. The railway station is surrounded by the Hand."

"They can use their magic," Puck said.

"Exactly!" Veronica nodded. "Frederick has the strength of his stepbrother, I hope, and Daisy is a fairy and Thumbelina's daughter, so she can shrink herself. Charming will send a patrol to meet them. Everything's going to be alright, Louise, so don't worry."

"OK, I'm calling Mr. Edwards right now," Jake announced, taking out his mobile phone and looking at the number written in the notebook. He dialed it only to hear a mechanical voice:

"The subscriber is not available now, please call back later."

"His phone is probably discharged or something. Let's try to phone Daisy," Veronica murmured. She took her phone and called my mother.

After ten seconds of waiting, we heard a sweet voice asking:

"Hello?"

"Mrs. Edwards, my name is Veronica Grimm..." Veronica hurried to explain.

"Oh, Mrs. Grimm, such a pleasure to get acquainted with you at last!" my Mom cried. "Is it true that my daughter Louisette lives with you now?"

Veronica was stunned.

"Yes, Mrs. Edwards, she does. How do you know?"

"Frederick and I both got an anonymous phone call yesterday. Some strange man told us that our long-lost Louisette lives with the Grimm family. He also advised us to go to Ferryport Landing. He refused to tell us his name or anything else, so we didn't know whether to believe him or not. We wanted to see our dear Louisette again so much, but what if it was a trick? Oh, now I know it's not! We'll hurry and go to wherever you live!"

"Th-that's excellent," Veronica stammered. "Of course, this stranger must be a very odd man not to tell you his name..."

"If you find out who he was, thank him!" Mom exclaimed. "Oh... and is Louisette nearby?"

"Sure!" Veronica smiled, but she was obviously still confused. She handed the phone to me.

"Mommy!" I cried happily.

"Louisette, dear, it's simply a miracle to hear you again! I have lost hope completely during these years..." my mother was crying from happiness. "I couldn't believe it when that stranger told us about you! And I'm still so unbelievably happy!.. Where, oh, where have you been?"

"I don't know," I answered. "I lost some of my memory."

"Oh, my poor thing! Please, tell me if you're all right now!"

"I'm alive and perfectly well!" I assured her. I didn't want to tell Mom about the poison and my heartaches. She had suffered enough since my mysterious disappearance.

"Louisette, your Daddy and I are coming to Ferryport Landing today! Daddy's at work now, he'll return in an hour, so we'll reunite only in three hours!" Mom said.

I wiped my own happy tears away...

* * *

**About three hours later**

Since I finished talking with Mom, I couldn't wait for her and Dad to come to the fort. A large patrol of fairies, led by Sabrina and Puck, was sent to meet my parents, and I insisted on coming with them.

We didn't encounter the hobgoblins in the woods and soon we safely got to the very barrier. Some fairies literally slammed into it. I could outstretch my hand and touch the invisible cold wall. It seemed like it was made of iron or concrete or some hard material like this. Only I couldn't see it.

The only person who didn't examine the barrier was Sabrina. Naturally - she was a human, after all. She looked at us with interest and sighed:

"I can't understand you and I never will, I think."

She stepped through the barrier and then back to us.

"And _I _don't understand that you don't feel the barrier at all," I shrugged.

"All right, let's go back to watching," Sabrina said, ignoring my comment. "Your parents, Louise, are going to arrive rather soon. The trouble is that we might not notice them. The barrier is pretty long."

"Ugly, I have an idea!" Puck said proudly. "How many of us is here?"

"Fifty-six, excluding you, Ms. Grimm and Ms. Edwards," one of the fairies answered.

"Excellent. Let's stand in a long line and start circling the barrier quickly," Puck suggested. "Keep a three-yard distance between yourself and the one in front of you. In that case, I doubt the arrival of the Edwards family will go unnoticed."

After a little discussion, the people agreed. We stood in a line, with Puck as a leader, Sabrina right behind him, and me behind Sabrina. And so we started marching along the barrier.

We were quite close to the Hudson River western bank, when one of the fairies shouted, banging at the barrier:

"I can see them! I can see them!"

"Hush!" Sabrina said. "You'll draw the hobgoblins' attention to us."

I ran to that fairy and looked at the woods outside the barrier.

* * *

Two people, a man and a woman, were walking along a narrow forest path, about twenty feet away from the barrier. They had several suitcases and handbags with them, and they seemed to be exhausted.

The man was in his late forties, he was tall, he had blonde hair and sky-blue eyes on a pale face. He was lame, and it obviously hurt him to walk; he had probably been walking for a too long time. He wasn't concerned on his pain, though. He was only worried about his wife, a beautiful short woman with long auburn curls and green eyes. She was incredibly tired, too, since she was carrying heavy bags as well.

When I saw them, I suddenly remembered both of them clearly! Faint memories of my old life came to my mind.

"Mommy! Daddy!" I cried. They had already noticed our patrol. I could see that their faces lit up with joy. They seemed to forget the exhausting journey and rushed to us as fast as they could. Soon they passed the barrier; I squealed with happiness hugged them both.

I was so happy that I barely remembered our way back to the fort.

"Louise, you're just the same," I remember my father saying it.

"I wish I could forget the years since you disappeared!" Mom agreed.

"What you must have been through!"

"How wonderful is to be together again!"

"We've missed you terribly; it was awful to live without you. The house seemed empty!"

"I couldn't focus on any work, Louisette, honey, I was only trying to search for you! We've contacted every single detective and policeman in Washington... and they could do nothing!.."

"I think that a kind wizard from a fairy-tale phoned us yesterday..."

That's all I can remember. During all the way home, I was crying from happiness and holding my parents' hands, as if afraid to disappear once more. I knew I wouldn't stand another parting.

When we came to the fort, the Grimms explained the situation in Ferryport Landing to Mom and Dad. They weren't too afraid of the Hand.

"After all, my half-brother is the Giant Killer himself!" Frederick said. "In some way, I'm like him. I can defend my wife and my daughter from some group of freaks."

"And my father is the most experienced Everafter sword-fighter in Denmark," Daisy added. "My mom managed to suffer through a whole lot of dangerous adventures. I inherited their abilities. Don't think that I'm weak! Now that we're here, we won't allow any harm to come to Louise!"


	12. The Mirror Labyrinth

**Chapter 12. The Mirror Labyrinth**

**Five days later**

Louise's POV

A group of our soldiers, including Mom, Dad and me, had decided to go to the Golden Brook. We agreed we'd try to find out anything about the meadow near the brook, because there _was_ something special about it. I suspected it was Anthony Oldshoe's secret base. Sabrina Grimm thought Gerald Oldshoe had some weapons or cameras hidden there.

Anyway, we wished to try solving this twisted mystery about my kidnapping and the Master's disappearance once more.

The group consisted of Puck, Sabrina, Daphne, Basil, and my family. The rest of Charming's army was going to a battle – to distract the Scarlet Hand.

We went into the forests before dawn. Hobgoblins go on patrol at sunrise, and the rest of the Hand on that day presumably slept peacefully in the Scarlet Fort.

The woods were so silent… Our most quiet footsteps were followed by an echo. Fortunately, the day was cloudy and misty, so it was hard to spot our group from far away. We went through the forests without incidents.

As we approached the Golden Brook, I felt getting more and more excited. I was going to find out how I had been kidnapped!

Finally, the famous meadow near the brook could be noticed through bushes.

"Now – hush!" Daphne whispered. "Listen. I go first. Then Mr. and Mrs. Edwards, then Louise. The rest of you, hide here and help us if anything happens. OK?"

"Yes," all of us nodded. Daphne crept through the bushes carefully. As she was hidden by the branches, Mommy and Daddy followed her.

"Coast is clear!" I heard Daphne speaking. "Hey, Louise, c'mon! There's nobody here."

I started walking through the leaves, until my foot caught on something. I shrieked but continued going. There was water under my feet: some inflow of the Golden Brook.

Suddenly, it dawned on me that I had been walking for half a minute and the meadow wasn't even in sight!

"Mommy! Daddy! Daphne!" I cried, horrified. "What is it now?"

"Now! Ow! Ow! Ow!.." I heard the echo. Nobody else replied.

I knelt down and sobbed:

"Why, oh, why does it always have to happen to _me_?"

I threw my hands to the ground in despair. The ground was sharp. Something like glass. I looked closer, and realized it was mirror. I felt a wish to run away as quickly as possible – which I tried to do. I didn't have a chance to get even five feet away, because I nearly slammed into another mirror!

I examined my surroundings and found myself in a narrow corridor with mirror as the ceiling, the walls, and the floor.

"Oh my," I thought. "How did I get here? And how can I get out?"

"If I only had light in this corridor," I whispered. Immediately I was blinded by silvery light: dozens of tiny lamps turned out to be hidden on the walls.

The light cheered me up, and it also allowed me to see the corridor properly. There were vases of flowers and lilac sprigs around me, but nothing else – no signs on the walls, no windows. Moreover, the corridor turned out to be a labyrinth: there were turns and stairways and crossroads – all made of mirrors – everywhere! I was lost.

Suddenly, I remembered the simplest thing in the world: Daphne gave me her old mobile phone, so I could at least call my family and friends. I called Mommy.

Soon, she answered in a shocked voice:

"Louisette, dear, where are you? Are you lost in the forest?"

"No, it's worse than that," and I told her about the mirror labyrinth.

"Oh, honey, we're coming back to the fort now! The rest of the Grimms or some Everafters might know about it."

"No, no, some of you must stay near the Golden Brook! I fear I was caught into a trap set by Anthony or Gerald – well, whoever!"

"Alright… How are you there?"

"It's not bad, and there are no enemies yet. I've found berries in some of the vases, so I won't die of hunger."

"Louisette, oh, we shouldn't have left you alone in the bushes…"

"Mommy, it's not your fault. Nobody would be able to predict a danger turning up two yards away, in the place where you had stood moments before… Don't worry, I'll wait for the help to come!"

After I finished talking to Mom, I found an empty flower-pot, turned it upside down and sat on it. I tried not to think about bad things, but I couldn't help myself.

"What if Mommy and Daddy are killed? What if the rescue group gets caught by hobgoblins? What if I die here…" these thoughts came to my head. Tears streamed down my face. Suddenly, my mobile phone's screen darkened. _It's discharged. Of course, the battery life just had to end now!_

Two hours later, I decided to search for some escape exit myself, but still had no luck. So I found a vase which held branches of an apple tree, with red and yellow apples covering them.

I took the largest one of the apples and tasted it before an alarm bell rang in my mind. _The red color's too bright to be natural!_

The world darkened before my eyes, and I fell on the ground. My back didn't hurt… my eyelids were awfully heavy… The last thing I heard before falling into a dreamless sleep was a triumphant exclamation, followed by a disappointed one:

"It was meant for the Grimms or for Anthony Oldshoe!"

* * *

Daisy Edwards's POV

I hurriedly told the rest of us about Louisette's disappearance. Our group was divided in two: the first one was to stay here, the second was to run to the fort.

I was in the second group, but before we could leave, branches crackled in the woods…

_Louisette has escaped from the labyrinth?.._

Oh no. It wasn't Louisette. It was Anthony Oldshoe. Sabrina and Louisette had described him to me before, so I recognized him: dark-haired, gracious, with a tanned handsome face.

"Where's Louise?" he demanded straightly.

"What the…" Puck started. I interrupted him:

"That's what we want to ask you! Didn't _you_ set a trap to teleport Louise to the mirror labyrinth?"

Anthony gasped, startled.

"Oh no! That's what I was afraid of… It wasn't a trap. It was an entrance for me. Mirror has escaped into a mirror labyrinth – and I was just going to go catch him there!.. Why didn't I think about the possibility of Louise getting there earlier?"

"Show us the passage to the labyrinth now," Frederick snapped. "If you do, we'll believe you."

"All right," Anthony said reluctantly. "Follow me to the entrance to that mirror world. By the way, I hope Louise doesn't get caught by Mirror…"


	13. The Land of Dreams

**I didn't abandon my stories at all!**

* * *

**Chapter 13. The Land Of Dreams**

Sabrina's POV

We followed Anthony Oldshoe back to the bushes. I didn't think he told us the truth, though. But he seemed so calm and self-convinced that I guessed I could have been wrong, after all.

"There it is," Anthony pointed to a narrow sparkling brook.

"The inflow of the Golden Brook," Mr. Edwards shrugged. "Nothing special."

"Let's see," Anthony smiled slyly and stood into the brook. He started descending lower – and lower – and lower – until we realized the water couldn't be _that _deep. Only Anthony's head was visible now.

"Follow me!" he called us and vanished.

Mrs. Edwards hesitantly stepped into the water.

"It's not wet… not watery at all!" she exclaimed. "Come on! It's – well, seemingly safe."

Mr. Edwards was the next one, then Daphne, then Basil.

"Well, ugly, are you afraid of some magic water?" Puck asked sarcastically.

"Not at all!" I snapped. I didn't have the time to think of a better answer for that fairy boy. We both jumped into the water.

It didn't feel like water indeed. It was more like cold bluish gas of some kind. The further I descended, the stronger my head ached. Suddenly I fainted for a second and then found myself in a narrow corridor with the walls, the floor, and the ceiling made only of mirror.

"What can that be?" I demanded.

"The Mirror Labyrinth, which is located in the Land of Dreams. Mirror's hiding here: you can get here through any simple mirror or even a piece of glass," Anthony explained. "I tracked him down and built this secret passageway to catch him. My plan was almost perfect – I only didn't think of Louise."

"Where's my daughter now?" Mrs. Edwards sobbed. "What has Mirror done with her?"

"That's what I'm going to find out," Anthony said. "All of you, stay here. I'll search the nearby corridors. No, no, don't help me – you'll get lost or caught by Mirror yourself."

He ran to the end of the corridor, turned right and disappeared from the view.

In several minutes, his cry echoed from far away:

"Oh no! I feared it!"

We all rushed to him. Sure, we had to search for him for a while, but it didn't take long.

What we saw terrified us. Louise was lying unconscious on the floor, an apple in her hand. Anthony was kneeling in front of her.

"Poisoned apples?" Daphne whispered.

"Yes," he nodded, took the bright red apple from the girl's hand and sniffed it. "That's bad. It's a weaker kind of spell than the one used in _Snow White_… The person sleeps but continues aging – or _begins _aging if he or she is an Everafter. So…"

"Isn't it obvious? Louise needs a true love's kiss," Daphne said in an expert's voice. "Then the spell will be broken."

"No one loves her in _this_ kind of way. She's just a child!" Mr. Edwards exclaimed.

"There's only one way of saving her – and, ironically, it's the only way of catching Mirror," Anthony said. "We must search through the Land of Dreams. Every young girl certainly dreams of a handsome fairytale prince or a superhero soldier or an extra-mighty magician – well, whoever! – who will madly fall in love with her when she grows up."

"And can we find Louise's ideal man here?" Mr. Edwards asked.

"Of course! It's the Land of Dreams, don't you see? Mirror, by the way, is also around here, so we'll catch him too."

"Hooray! I'm sure we'll do it!" Daphne clapped.

"But someone has to warn our family," Basil said. "Mom, Dad, the rest of us – they'll go crazy if we vanish into thin air."

"Who'll go, then?" I asked.

"I'll go myself," Basil assured us. "I'm the smallest one here and the least mighty one. If I go with you, I'll be a burden."

"Nonsense!" Daphne exclaimed. "At your age I battled giants and Jabberwocks and had a brown belt for my martial arts skills!"

"I'm not saying I'm _useless_ for your expedition. I'm saying I'm the least useful," Basil corrected her. "Somebody has to warn the rest of us about the change of plans."

"But how can you go through a forest full of hobgoblin patrols?" I cried.

"Marshmallow might have some stuff to fix it," Puck smiled.

Daphne nodded and dug in her pockets – she had only a bit fewer pockets than Uncle Jake.

"There it is!" she sighed and threw a white bottle to Basil. "A sip of this makes you invisible for two hours. Just the time you need to get home."

"Thanks, Daph! Good luck to you all! If you don't come back in three days we'll go for rescue!" Basil drank the liquid from the white bottle and disappeared. The bottle was thrown back to Daphne.

Our little brother's footsteps were heard for a while until he reached the passageway to our world. Then we saw a tiny tornado of bluish gas reflected in the thousands of mirrors – and everything grew quiet.

"Now, help me, please," Anthony said. "Some of these flower vases are wooden – we can construct a stretcher to carry Louise."

* * *

**Fifteen minutes later**

Louise was put on the stretcher, and Anthony and Mr. Edwards lifted it.

"Let's go to the exit," Anthony sighed. "I know where it is."

"While we're on the way, couldn't you explain your behavior?" I demanded as we started walking in the direction Anthony showed us. "What side are you on?"

Anthony laughed:

"I'm on my own side. But I help you because the Hand had begun the war, so, if it's stopped, the war would end. Louise possesses some special ability that can kill a guardian of a magic mirror – that's why the Hand kidnapped her.

"I had no choice. I asked Gerald to help me, and he wrote some notes to the Edwards family, advising them to come to Ferryport Landing. Unfortunately, Edwin and Matilda Grimm couldn't figure this thing out…

"I tried to confuse the Hand. I gave Louise some memory-wiping mixture and brought her to my secret base near the Golden Brook. Unfortunately, a time rip had occurred there – caused, I think, by a Tom Baxter who struggled to make a backward-aging machine… Anyway, Louise fell unconscious and was carried directly here. When I figured this out and the time came, I started visiting her. For several months, I had been bringing her food and everything else she needed… along with the memory-wiping mixture. When the Hand rose, Gerald and I hurried to bring the memory-_restoring _mixture to Louise.

"But the memory-restoring spell only works on an unconscious person, and Louise woke up earlier than I predicted… We brought her to the Scarlet Fort – it was the only place where I could protect her from the Hand. We made her a slave so that nobody of the Hand could recognize her skills – who'd notice a slave?

"In several days I urged Gerald to free Relda Grimm and kill Mirror. We planned everything well. I made a 3D mirage representing Relda Grimm's dying body and spread the news of the Master falling sick. Gerald hurried to the real Master and lied him about the slaves' rebellion – which has never occurred. It was just a distraction. Gerald and I, you see, possess the horn of the _East _Wind, which is practically similar to the North Wind's one. Gerald used it to free Relda Grimm and carry her to the meadow near the brook.

"I gave Louise a glass of cold lemonade with some valerian – Louise's heartaches were just side effects from her memory slowly restoring. The lemonade was given to the mirage I made, and soon we could easily announce about the Master's death.

"But, unluckily for us, Mirror escaped into a mirror. He found a way to the Land of Dreams and, as I can see, he also took some useful things from the Hall of Wonders – such as this apple."

"So when you came to our fort…" Daphne started.

"I was really trying to find out where Mirror was!" Anthony nodded.

"Wow…" Puck said. "It was funny how you tricked the Hand."

"For me, it wasn't funny at all, because Mirror didn't die after all," Anthony grunted, but then his face lit up again. "At last! The exit to the Land of Dreams!"

He pointed to a big bone white door in the end of the hall. It had words cut in it:

THE ABSTRACT ISLAND

"The Mirror Labyrinth is moving under the ground of the Land," Anthony chuckled. "Like some subway train – only you don't know where you're going. The Abstract Island won't help us to find a prince for Louise, but it can be Mirror's hiding place – so let's go."

He opened the door.


End file.
